A Christian Perspective on the Muslim Cartoon Protests

Being Mocked: The Essence of Christ’s WorkFebruary 8, 2006By John PiperWhat we saw this past week in the Islamic demonstrations over the Danish cartoons of Muhammad was another vivid depiction of the difference between Muhammad and Christ, and what it means to follow each. Not all Muslims approve the violence. But a deep lesson remains: The work of Muhammad is based on being honored and the work of Christ is based on being insulted. This produces two very different reactions to mockery.If Christ had not been insulted, there would be no salvation. This was his saving work: to be insulted and die to rescue sinners from the wrath of God. Already in the Psalms the path of mockery was promised: “All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads” (Psalm 22:7). “He was despised and rejected by men . . . as one from whom men hide their faces . . . and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3).When it actually happened it was worse than expected “They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head. . . . And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ And they spit on him” (Matthew 27:28-30). His response to all this was patient endurance. This was the work he came to do. “Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). This was not true of Muhammad. And Muslims do not believe it is true of Jesus. Most Muslims have been taught that Jesus was not crucified. One Sunni Muslim writes, “Muslims believe that Allah saved the Messiah from the ignominy of crucifixion.”1 Another adds, “We honor [Jesus] more than you [Christians] do. . . . We refuse to believe that God would permit him to suffer death on the cross.”2 An essential Muslim impulse is to avoid the “ignominy” of the cross.That’s the most basic difference between Christ and Muhammad and between a Muslim and a follower of Christ. For Christ, enduring the mockery of the cross was the essence of his mission. And for a true follower of Christ enduring suffering patiently for the glory of Christ is the essence of obedience. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (Matthew 5:11). During his life on earth Jesus was called a bastard (John 8:41), a drunkard (Matthew 11:19), a blasphemer (Matthew 26:65), a devil (Matthew 10:25); and he promised his followers the same: “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household” (Matthew 10:25).The caricature and mockery of Christ has continued to this day. Martin Scorsese portrayed Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ as wracked with doubt and beset with sexual lust. Andres Serrano was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts to portray Jesus on a cross sunk in a bottle of urine. The Da Vinci Code portrays Jesus as a mere mortal who married and fathered children.How should his followers respond? On the one hand, we are grieved and angered. On the other hand, we identify with Christ, and embrace his suffering, and rejoice in our afflictions, and say with the apostle Paul that vengeance belongs to the Lord, let us love our enemies and win them with the gospel. If Christ did his work by being insulted, we must do ours likewise.When Muhammad was portrayed in twelve cartoons in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, the uproar across the Muslim world was intense and sometimes violent. Flags were burned, embassies were torched, and at least one Christian church was stoned. The cartoonists went into hiding in fear for their lives, like Salman Rushdie before them. What does this mean?It means that a religion with no insulted Savior will not endure insults to win the scoffers. It means that this religion is destined to bear the impossible load of upholding the honor of one who did not die and rise again to make that possible. It means that Jesus Christ is still the only hope of peace with God and peace with man. And it means that his followers must be willing to “share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10).Footnotes1 Badru D. Kateregga and David W. Shenk, Islam and Christianity: A Muslim and a Christian in Dialogue (Nairobi: Usima Press, 1980), p. 141. 2 Quoted from The Muslim World in J. Dudley Woodberry, editor, Muslims and Christians on the Emmaus Road (Monrovia, CA: MARC, 1989), p. 164.SOURCE: www.desiringgod.org

Hi saved_matt and all,I think the article by John Piper gave a fair and decent perspective on this issue from our view.This statement in particular stood out to me It means that a religion with no insulted Savior will not endure insults to win the scoffers. It means that this religion is destined to bear the impossible load of upholding the honor of one who did not die and rise again to make that possible.And it is the issue of that honor, the 'honor' that they give to Muhammad that really has stood out to me recently. So much so that I ask the question: have Muslims begun(or have they always) to worship Muhammad?I'll phrase the question again this way:Do you worship whatever you are willing to kill for?Wouldn't it be ironic if, having rejected the claims and work of Christ in large part to His being in nature human, as well as Divine, and not willing or perhaps even understanding that God does indeed have a Son, that becuase of this they have instead worhipped a man whom they fully acknowlege to be a man?The Scripture comes to mind "..He taketh the wise in their own craftiness." 1Cor 3:19And also these verses from the 2nd Psalm.."Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed,...""Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.""Kiss the Son..".For we know brothers that "God is not mocked."Havig preached an idol of Christ, have they not reaped an idol of a mere man?So let us also fear brethren, for we know that we are no wiser than they, except God had choosen us for mercy and opened our eyes to see.For Him,Christopher

First of all, let me begin by saying that I know that there are actually many moderate Muslims in the world who believe that this reaction was wrong and who are completely against the violence that has erupted.Being passionate and even radical about your religion is one thing, but violence and terrorism is a whole different thing. Islam has been highjacked by terrorists. The same thing happened to Christianity during the Crusades. In short, what I am saying is that I believe that there are good and bad apples in every bunch.However, people do make fun of Jesus all the time and destroy Buddha statues and make Jew jokes, but rarely has there been a reaction so violent as this that it has made world headlines.I am involved in religious debate quite frequently online. I was taught that one of the first rules of debate is that you never want to launch a personal attack against anyone, because the moment you do, all rational thought goes out the window and it just turns into one big shouting match.When sharing my faith online, I never resort to personal attacks, and I never respond with name-calling or ridicule even to those who would curse me out or blaspheme the name of my God. Even when I am persecuted, I understand that reacting with violence is not an option for me.The American government has taken christian prayer and the pledge of allegiance out of public schools. Why aren't there Christian people carrying out acts of violence against our government in response to such things as this?Most religious groups have been victims of persecution at one time or another, and most of us have also been guilty of doing it to others. But there are certain things that you just have to tolerate. Certainly we can all express protest without resorting to violence.

Hi Taka, how are you? I hope we can avoid changing the course of the topic but I was wondering if you could explain this statement more...Islam has been highjacked by terrorists.When I listen to different Christian radio programs and the subject of Islam comes up, I think I have without exception heard a case made against this point. More specifically, I have heard that the terrorists are actually following the teachings of the Koran? Is this not true?Maybe you could help me with this, but I have had the understanding that Islam has by and large spread throughout the world through confilct, is this not the case? Didn't it begin with Mohammed defeating different groups in armed conflict? If so, could you maybe point out some periods of time when it has spread effectively by peacefull means, including no forced or coerced conversions?The case could be made that it is spreading here in America(certianly here in Philadelphia) however that is under our system of Government and liberty. Something other faiths do not exactly enjoy in Muslim countries, as I understand it.Also, have there ever been times when other faiths have NOT suffered persecution and subjection to varying degrees in Islamic states? If so, please share these. I have only heard the other side of this, so perhaps you can present another side.I am convinced though, that many many of our Christian brothers and sisters are in THIS very hour suffering horribly at the hands of Muslims in different parts of the world. For instance, as it relates to this topic, they are either being put to death or sentenced to life in prison under the blasphemy law in Pakistan. For example, for blaspheming the prophet Mohammed. I have three of thier pictures on the wall next to me right now. All three of them maintain that the charges against them are false. In the case of Rhanja Masih, his accusers say he threw a rock at a Muslim sign, which he denies. He was sentenced under the blasphemy law which normally carries the death penalty. However, he was given life in prison and fined an equivalent to $830.You may be aware of it, but here is a website which monitors the plight of our fellow believers around the world.www.persecution.comYou can read thier stories by selecting Pakistan from the menu here at..http://www.persecution.com/basic/prisonerList.cfmor go to www.prisoneralert.comAlso, before I close, you made this point...The same thing happened to Christianity during the Crusades.Hmm, I think I know what you're getting at, but isn't it really more accurate to say Catholicisim was hijacked, not Christianity? Besides I don't think there is anything in the Scripture to justify Chrisitan armed conflict to recapture Jerusalem, you know what I mean(John 18:36)? So sure, people can do all sorts of things in any name they want. But what matters is are they being consistent with the name they use.So, what I'm asking is this: show me how the terroists are NOT being consistent with the name of Mohammed and his legacy.Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this.May God give us understanding.

Hello,I would like to say.if it where not for the crusades.the Orthodox would not have split,from the Roman catholicisim, so on with luther,the churchs begain to split,to the north and south,east and west,by the way one of the prisoner's is coptic Ortohdox Christian ,I don't think their is anything in the Scripture to justify Christian armed (read Luke 22:36The koran which started in 7 a.d.and was written 620 a.d speaks of a different god.Don't be confused.my people have been living under the turkish mulism rule threw out the dark ages even up til WW1.

eternity is written on every man's heart (and i mean man=human race itself) we're all looking for spiritual fulfillment and there are many ways to make up your mind about going for that. every religion tries to offer up something i dont see happening anywhere else but with Christianity, i also live by the principal the christianity-real christianity is not a religion but a lifestyle. i have a muslim friend -muslim because she was born to a muslim family. i wont mention her name but she is sweet, she's been soul searching a bit and she still maintains a few of their practises more out of religious obligation than conviction but that can change the moment you are told what your doing is all about.the point is, she's a sweet girl, loves her friends loves her family and has been soulsearching like the rest of us. i would love her to give christianity a go because of how real it is, but she prays, ...to allah and she sees the things she prays for come to pass. she isnt strict in her beliefs and she doesnt learn the word of the qu'ran like they apparently put on themselves to do, what she told me one day was that they expect you to read and remember every word, to not do so is a sin. but she's also a party girl. people find refuge in all sorts of badged places and its kinda like shopping around for spirituality, truth of the matter is, people would sometimes rather live their lives in ignorance and find a quick fix than look for something that is actually real. there were throughout history many people who took the christian 'religious' practice like the catholic church a bit too seriously and bible bashed people, infact thats an understatement, people were mercilessly slaughtered throughout history becuase people couldnt allow for free will and took it to extremes, i understand if there are people of the muslim community taking their 'faith' too seriously, lets not rule that out, but we gotta also keep in mind that extremes are a no go, and in australia we're trying to deal with muslims and their apparent claim to wanting to overthrow us and take oz for themselves. we also hold that God is taking Australia and i dont see why the muslims (without bothering to learn our language mind you) would have a chance of doing so... again extremes. Christ was radical but he wasnt extreme. radical is out there, extreme is overuse of any one thing, whether that be alcohol, ciggarettes, or even Godly principal because we were created to take everythign in moderation... another thing i was thinking about was the apparent 'born into this religion' business. where a person can be so adamant about their 'birth rights' spirituality but not as an individual, God wasnt talking to the person down the hall from you or to the person by your side when he said 'for i know the plans i have for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future' so i honestly believe and hold that the muslim community are not outside our reach nor the catholics nor the bhuddists nor the gates of hell for crying out loud. Jesus broke free of the gates of hell anyway, so why are we cowering? we who were called to greater things. it also takes a whole lot more faith to believe in evolution than could possibly be needed to believe jesus died and rose again, infact it takes a whole lot more faith than to say to a mountain 'jump into the sea' and have it jump... love people. love conquers all, heard that before? its also funny how a humble servant heart gets a lot further than sour grapes...

bro Chris agree with this When I listen to different Christian radio programs and the subject of Islam comes up, I think I have without exception heard a case made against this point. More specifically, I have heard that the terrorists are actually following the teachings of the Koran? Is this not true?you know, all this talk about some muslims being extremists and hijacking that faith is untrue. i was speaking to a friend of mine at work who is a very devout moslem and i learned a couple of things from him. we oft hear the word "jihad" associated with what we call terrorism but in all truth jihad is any form of struggle to do what pleases allah. so with that in mind, jihad is not limited to fighting but extends to every facet of life, every day is a jihad to them in one way or another, going to work to provide for one's family etc. those muslims who blow people up are simply practising another form of jihad (which has to be sanctioned in a fatwa by a mullah or imam) so this is not an instance in which the faith is "hijacked by extremists" that's a misconception based on today's philosophy on moral relativism. those who preach in Christianity that anyone else who doesn't accept Christ will burn in hell would be so labelled extremists but the truth of the matter is that Christ says that He is the way the Truth and the Life and noone goes to the Father except by Him. in that regard, anyone who tells you any different is lying and that will lead you to hell if you believe it, anyone who has another way (islam, buddism etc) is also lying and that way leads to hell. if someone says that there is another life besides Christ, he is lying and instead is preaching death, and eternal damnation. i firmly believe this and so some Christians will call me an extremist. the truth is Christianity is an extreme religion and not one for the faint of heart.that being said there will be Jews in hell, there will be buddists, muslims, taoists, people who purport to be Christians but are not.those muslims who come on and say "oh our faith has been hijacked by extremists" in truth are not devout muslims at all and are trying to swallow the camel of their own lack of fervor for their faith. all this is fine and dandy but the really bad thing is that we of the True Faith are put to shame by those of this demon-inspired faith by their fervor for this faith. i asked my friend yesterday if he was so devout as to die for his faith and he said without hesitation "it is a good thing to die for the faith so of course i am ready." how many of us are prepared to die for the Faith as these ones are? bro Art Katz spoke in his talk on the 9-11 tragedy (judgement from God) about how the Lord uses the things or peoples we least expect to mete out judgement. He spoke of how the Jews in the days before ww2 had so drifted far away from God as to come to a worship of the German culture as it was the ultimate form of humanism which served them well as most were Jews in name only. irony of ironies the Lord used the Germans to wipe out a huge number of them using the very people and culture they so worshipped in His stead. now with us as Christians, we are put to shame by muslims who don't belive God as we do by their fervor and the Lord used them to strike a blow on 9-11. the tragedy is, the church remained silent and didn't confront this with the question "is this judgement? if so we need to fall on our faces and repent before God" but if the church had come out and said that, the lie we've preached for so long about a teddy-bear God in heaven would be exposed...that would be the end of the church's credibilty...instead it was passed off as blight...a chance happening without any connection with God at all. a random thing...begging the question "where was God" the Lord was seeing His will done. people say president bush is a Christian and i believe he is, but he is not one of very high calibre. one of high calibre would have called the nation to repentance...at the end of the day though the word says all things work together for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.Lord your will be done.AMEN

bro Arbustumthere were throughout history many people who took the christian 'religious' practice like the catholic church a bit too seriously and bible bashed people, infact thats an understatement, people were mercilessly slaughtered throughout history becuase people couldnt allow for free will and took it to extremes, i understand if there are people of the muslim community taking their 'faith' too seriously, lets not rule that out, but we gotta also keep in mind that extremes are a no go, and in australia we're trying to deal with muslims and their apparent claim to wanting to overthrow us and take oz for themselves. we also hold that God is taking Australia and i dont see why the muslims (without bothering to learn our language mind you) would have a chance of doing so... again extremes. Christ was radical but he wasnt extreme. radical is out there, extreme is overuse of any one thing, whether that be alcohol, ciggarettes, or even Godly principal because we were created to take everythign in moderation...Christ was indeed a radical but for Him to say that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life excludes anyone who doesn't accept Him from heaven and the Father and they are condemned to hell. end of story, it is of no consequence how nice one may be if they are not believers in Christ, they go to hell. that would be seen as extremist, i believe it so i would be labelled as such. well i'll be that for the sake of my saviour.Christianity is an extreme religion, it's not for the faint of heart. one endures extreme persecution and attack from the enemy as a result.we should all consider this. If God the Father though the matter of our salvation to be one of such magnitude, one so crucial and so serious that it required the blood of His son Jesus Christ, His death on a cross and the preceding torture for sins He didn't commit that we did, should we not also take our Faith that seriously? why should we be lax about the Faith in the light of the great price paid by Christ primarily and those who followed after Him? Dare we diminish and pervert the Faith for which blood has been shed so we can remain in a place of comfort where noone is offended by us but we get along with the world?

Hi Ironman, how are you today?Without a doubt our Lord leaves no room for other 'saviors.' All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers:And neither did His Apostles Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.We can have the greatest confidence that when we trust in Him exclusively for our salvation and point others to Him exclusively for their own, that He intended it to be so. And our consciences may be ever so clear in this becuase the whole weight of the burden for so monumental of claims rest firmly upon His worthy shoulders. and the government shall be upon his shoulder Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.Praise God! Praise God indeed!

bro Chrisi'm well, had the day off so i did a little work on my car and spent time with my wife and daughter. bro Chris all i cansay is yea and AMEN!bless the Lord that the work of salvation is on His shoulders.

Some more good ones...Jn. 14:6- I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.Jn. 3:16- For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son...- Both quotes from Jesus himself- a little harder to argue with.